Dear PM Modi! Hindutva Gang Not Congress Colluded with Muslim League in Pre-Independence India

The Hindutva cronies like RSS and Hindu Mahasabha make a brazen claim that they were the only ones who opposed the divisive, communal and two-nation politics of the anti-national Muslim League led by MA Jinnah and played great role in the freedom struggle. There cannot be a worst lie than this and only Hindutva gang can fabricate such lies. The pre-Independence political happenings and documents from the archives of the Hindutva organizations tell us a shameful story of Hindutva organizations aligning with the Muslim League which stood for the Partition of our country. Part 2 presents facts on the following: (1)HINDU MAHASABHA LED BY " VEER " SAVARKAR RAN COALITION GOVERNMENTS WITH MUSLIM LEAGUE DURING QUIT INDIA MOVEMENT. (2) RSS NOT ONLY OPPOSED INDIAN FREEDOM STRUGGLE BUT DENIGRATED IT. (3) Does RSS respect martyrs of the Freedom Movement like Bhagat Singh? Also see: http://www.countercurrents.org/islam310116.htm

"RSS/HINDUTVA VERSUS INDIA/INDIANS RSS/Hindutva camp boasts of being the embodiment of Indian nationalism/patriotism and represent the aspirations of the Nation. It claims, specially the RSS, that India is a Hindu Rashtra and they are the guardians of Hindu interests. It also claims that politics of Hindutva is synonymous with the interests of Hindus. This is despite the fact that India is a Democratic-Secular country; committed to build an egalitarian polity. RSS and its Hindutva camp followers, in tune with Muslim communalists and pre-Independence Muslim League, assert that Hindus cannot be democratic & secular. This chart is an attempt to unmask the anti-national ideology and deeds of the Hindutva camp vis-a-vis India; a land inhabited by people of many religions, cultures and creeds of which majority being of Hindus. This chart ‘RSS/HINDUTVA VERSUS INDIA/INDIANS’ is self-explanatory as each issue of concern for India and those who love India (both in pre and post- Independence period) is tagged with the Hindutva camp’s official stand. This chart makes it easy to comprehend the gravity of anti-national character of the ideology and misdeeds of the Hindutva camp led by RSS. It was this character of the Hindutva ideology that Dr. BR Ambedkar a great researcher and thinker of communal politics in India wrote as early as 1940, “If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country…it is a menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. On that account it is incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost.” [B. R. Ambedkar, Pakistan or the Partition of India, Government of Maharashtra, Bombay, 1940 (reprint 1990), p. 358] "

"UNDOING DEMOCRATIC-SECULAR INDIA: THE HINDUTVA WAY Shamsul Islam (notoinjustice@gmail.com) The most prominent flag-bearer of Hindutva politics; the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh1 (RSS), since its birth in 1925, has been steadfastly working for turning India into a theocratic state. It enjoyed the support of a section of high-caste Hindu society but with the formation of the National Democratic Alliance governments[1 998-2004], RSS greatly accelerated its old favourite pastime of turning India into a Hindu Rashtra and minority-bashing as part of Hindutva project. The then Sarsanghchalak or the Supremo of the RSS, KS Sudershan while addressing a rally on the eve of the 75th founding day of the RSS in Nagpur, called upon the Muslims and Christians of the country to prove their patriotism. Later, the RSS at the end of its Bangalore session on March 7, 2002, came out with another warning to the Muslims: “Let the Muslims understand that their real safety lies in the good-will of the majority”. This statement came in the aftermath of the carnage of the Muslims allegedly organized by the cadres of the RSS in Gujarat. How the Muslims and other minorities could earn RSS ‘good-will’ was clear by the following words of an editorial in The Hindustan Times: Daughters were gang-raped in front of their fathers and then had their heads bashed in. Their fathers were doused with petrol and set on fire. Their property was looted. Their businesses were destroyed. And the police stood by and did nothing.2 It is really atrocious that an organization, which had been banned at least twice for anti-national activities by the Government of India after Independence should pose as the controlling authority of patriotism in the country. Should we once again refresh the memory of the RSS brass that their rabid communal organization was banned in 1948 for collaborating in the murder of Father of the Nation M. K. Gandhi,3 and in 1992 it was again banned for demolishing the Babri mosque at Ayodhya? Do we also need to tell the RSS that misadventures like the demolition of the Babri mosque, the large scale pogrom of the Muslims in Gujarat, violence against Christians and Dalits by its outfits only served the strategic goals of the enemies of India like the ISI of Pakistan who wanted to see an India fractured, and at war with itself? The RSS and its leadership historically have been great worshippers of Hitler and Mussolini and their ideas. Nazism and Fascism have greatly moulded the ideological as well as organizational frameworks of the RSS. They do not hide this love. The RSS does not hate minorities only, it publicly wants to build up an India of Manu’s dehumanizing ideas and establish a theocracy in which the Dalits/Untouchables, lower castes, downtrodden and women amongst the Hindus will have no humane or respectable existence. It is to be noted that anti-minority rhetoric is only a strategy to camouflage its anti-national designs. It is high time that the people of this country scrutinize the record of patriotism and loyalty to the Nation of the RSS itself. Unfortunately, the RSS, which is fond of demanding unwavering and unflinching loyalty to the nation from the minorities, is loyal neither to the Constitution of India nor to the National Flag. The RSS is an organization which openly decries the existence of a democratic, federal and secular India; and these characteristics are the ‘Basic’ features of the Constitution of India. It is an organization which not only openly decried the Freedom Movement against the British rule but also made fun of the heroic and patriotic revolutionary tradition of great martyrs like Bhagat Singh and his companions who laid down their lives for the liberation of the Motherland. In order to know the truth we will simply have to make access to the literature and publications of the RSS and its different outfits, specially the writings of M.S. Golwalkar who, as an ideologue is religiously followed by the bosses and cadres of the RSS. Here it is attempted to present the original and official viewpoints of the RSS on different aspects of Indian Nation, so that there is no room to allege that they have been misrepresented. It must be stressed here that it is the need of the hour that we know about the RSS and its game plan. It is no more a fringe organization now, as the present BJP leaders have declared their open allegiance to the RSS. They have even told the Nation that the RSS to them is what Gandhi was to Nehru! Interestingly, the RSS, despite these claims and declarations, denies any political role for itself! It claims to be just a cultural organization of the Hindus. It is hoped that with all these facts available (from horse’s mouth itself) our nation and the world will get familiarized with the real face and intentions of the RSS, otherwise it may be too late to save our dear Motherland.

India's freedom movement was an all inclusive movement for a nation state based on values of equality along with values like Liberty, Fraternity and Justice. The struggle was a joint venture by all the people of India, irrespective of their religion, caste and gender. It was founded on the premise that religion is a moral value and it's no obstacle to people coming together as Indian nation. The goal of this movement was secular democratic India. Sectarian Nationalism In contrast to the freedom movement, those upholding narrow, sectarian nationalism in the name of religion conceptualized nation in the name of religion, Hindu and Muslim. These people had their roots in the feudal, landlord classes to begin with and later some middle class elements also joined in. These nationalisms in the name of religion believed in 'Two Nation theory'. (1) Indian Constitution based itself on the principles of Indian freedom movement and through several of its clause, kept the secular values at the root of the laws and provisions in our society. While word secular was not part of the Preamble, secularism was inherent all through in the provisions of our constitution. While state strove to be secular, the society was in the grip of religiosity. (2) Many social scientists criticized the state for not being secular enough. In keeping with the modern and international norms it did provide for the affirmative action for religious minorities. It did permit minorities to preserve their culture through the institutions which they would control, like educational institutions set up by them. Soon enough the state faced the problem as Nehru-Ambedkar duo worked on the issue of reforms in the laws associated with religions and they thought, since Hindu community is the largest, a reform within the community will set the norm for other communities to follow. This is what led to the drafting of Hindu Code Bill by Ambedkar. It gave better rights towards equality to Hindu women in matters relating to inheritance of property, marriage, divorce and custody of children after divorce. (3) This brought in severe reaction from the conservative Hindu society, RSS and even elements within the Congress opposed it, leading to dilution of the Hindu Code Bill. This led to the resignation by Ambedkar from the Cabinet post. Later the issue of social reform, laws pertaining to rights of Muslim and Christian women remained in the limbo as the very foundation of secularism started being attacked by the movements related to identity issue. Independent India: Challenges to Secularism Somanth temple issue was another thorn in the journey of secular values. While Nehru directly opposed the building of temple by the state, Gandhi said that Hindu society is capable of building the temple on its own. Some Ministers in the central cabinet, did get associated with the trust to build Somnath temple, while the then President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad accepted to inaugurate the temple. (4) He did this against the advice of his government, led by Nehru, who held that state functionaries should not be associated with religious matters.

Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 2019

The Milli Gazette, Delhi, 2014

RSS is gradually working to build an international set-up to spread and execute its politics of hatred against certain minorities. Its goal of cleansing minorities is being internationalized with very serious repercussions for the region and the world. Modi Government’s fraternal ties with Zionist Israel make this trend more lethal. These developments pose a very serious threat to the democratic-secular fabric of the country and may turn India into an arena of ugly conflicts. The world obsessed with Islamist terrorism has not bothered to take any notice of a new terrorism network developing fast in India and its neighbourhood between Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and two ultra nationalist Buddhist groups of Myanmar and Sri Lanka against minorities in the area. In a startling and focussed disclosure The International New York Times (October 16, 2014) in an editorial titled ‘Deadly Alliances Against Muslims’ wrote: “On his 79th birthday in July, the Dalai Lama appealed to Buddhist extremist groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to stop instigating attacks against Muslim minorities that have killed scores. Instead, in an affront to Buddhism’s core message of compassion, leaders of those groups announced an alliance to make common cause against Muslims. “‘The time has come to ally internationally,’ Galagodaththe Gnanasara, the leader of the radical Sri Lankan Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena, announced at a convention held in Colombo last month. The guest of honor was Ashin Wirathu, a Buddhist radical whose picture Time magazine put on its July 1, 2014 cover as ‘The Face of Buddhist Terror.’ The government of Prime Minister Mahindra Rajapaksa ignored pleas by Sri Lankan Muslim and Christian civil groups, fearful of more anti-Muslim violence in their country, to deny Mr. Wirathu a visa. Granting Mr. Wirathu a visa can only reinforce the fears of many Muslims that the government —and perhaps more powerful regional allies—back Bodu Bala Sena, which translates as Buddhist Power Force. “Last week, Mr. Gnanasara claimed he was in discussions ‘at a high level’ with the right-wing Indian Hindu group Rashtriya Swayam Sevak to form what he called a ‘Hindu-Buddhist peace zone’ in South Asia. A Rashtriya Swayam Sevak spokesman, Ram Madhav, promptly denied that there were any such discussions. But Mr. Madhav, now general secretary of India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party, has written comments sympathetic to Bodu Bala Sena and Mr. Wirathu’s group 969 in Myanmar on his Facebook and Twitter accounts. “It is folly for the governments of Mr. Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka, President Thein Sein of Myanmar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, or their political allies, to give even the appearance of tolerating these Islamophobic groups in a region that has too often been convulsed by religious sectarian violence. They should condemn this mad alliance before it can spread further.”

This essay raises certain serious issues regarding future of Indian democracy. In the light of facts discussed about Hindutva politics (based on its documents) it should not be difficult to comprehend that RSS and its camp followers present the greatest internal danger to democratic-secular polity which ostensibly stands for justice and equality. The shocking reality is that except RSS & Hindutva clan all those who want to destroy Indian democracy (like Naxalites, militants belonging to other religious outfits and regional separatist groups) have met with brute force of the Indian State. But the former are having free run (heading central and state governments) despite open violent preaching for overthrowing the democratic-secular Indian polity. This is despite the fact that Neo-Nazis of Europe have openly disclosed their close affinity with RSS and its clan and offered to help in overthrowing democracy in India & elsewhere. Imagine if the same ideology was preached by ‘militants’ of Dalit, Muslim, Sikh or any other variety, their fate would have been sealed by bullet or jail. We urgently need to take note of the serious danger posed by RSS and its clan. They should not be allowed to undo a democratic-secular India. We should not allow them the liberty to force us to the path of a theocratic state like Pakistan. [This paper on the ideology of Hindutva was written when RSS/BJP ruled India in 2002. The Hindutva politics has become more extremist, provocative and intransigence since that time. So the dangers before Indian polity are very real even today. The present version is an updated one]

An open letter to JNU VC Santishree Pandit : Madam! Your association with RSS defies humanism, anti-colonial struggle & Indian democracy!